Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of aerobic bacteria isolated from hunting dogs in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Abstract

Hunting dogs may be a potential source of transmission of pathogenic, zoonotic, or drug-resistant bacteria to people since they may carry the pathogenic bacteria in their oral cavities. As a result of clinic-based cross-sectional study conducted to evaluate the level of multidrug resistant bacteria, colonization of the bacteria in the oral cavities of hunting dogs that appeared apparently healthy were found in Maiduguri. Oral swab samples were taken from one hundred and ninety-three (193) apparently healthy hunting dogs. Using colony morphology and oxidase, catalase, starch hydrolysis, casein hydrolysis, indole, methyl-red and Voges-Proskauer test (MR-VP) the bacteria were isolated and identified. The isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility to ten (10) different antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method in accordance with standard procedure. Escherichia coli (E. coli) accounted for the greater proportion of 100 (51.8%) of the isolates. Others were Staphylococcus spp. 19 (18.8%), Klebsiella spp. 13 (6.7%), and Streptococcus spp. 7 (3.6%). Escherichia coli isolates were highly resistant to Penicillin 100 (100%), Ceftriaxone (100%) and Tetracycline (80%) while Klebsiella spp. was found resistant to Amikacin (100%), Gentamicin (100%) and Ceftriaxone (100 %). Similarly, Staphylococcus spp. obtained in the current study was found to be resistant to Ciprofloxacin (100%), Gentamicin (100%) and Amikacin (100%) while Streptococcus isolates were resistant to Tetracycline (100%), Penicillin (100%) and Chloramphenicol (100%). Susceptibility of the isolates were E. coli 100 (100%) for Chloramphenicol. Owners of dogs should refrain from using antibiotics indiscriminately. In conclusion, the study revealed the presence of dissimilar bacteria in the oral cavities of hunting dogs using cultural isolation, biochemical and antibiotics sensitivity tests in the study area.